Covid-19: Austria introduces tests in restaurants to save its winter season
Audio 01:18
The coronavirus found fertile ground in crowded bars and restaurants in the ski resort of Ischgl in Tyrol in February and early March.
Photo taken on July 23, 2020. REUTERS / Lisi Niesner
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
Austria wants to save its tourism sector which represents 8% of its GDP, 15% if we add leisure.
And the country is counting for this on a massive campaign of PCR tests in the catering and hotel sectors.
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With our correspondent in Vienna,
Isaure Hiace
In this restaurant in Vienna's 1st district, employees are tested one by one before they can start their work.
“
I will receive the results tomorrow by SMS.
It happens every week and every time I feel relieved when I know I am healthy.
It's important to know that you can't infect your colleagues or clients,
”explains Michaela Supersperger, an employee of the establishment.
Like this restaurant, the InterContinental Hotel volunteered for this government-funded testing campaign.
A welcome initiative in the eyes of its director, Brigitte Trattner, as the situation remains difficult today.
“
For us, there hasn't really been any improvement since the confinement.
We had hope in the summer months, but it is gone today.
So these tests are a useful tool because it clearly gives customers confidence, but they alone will not solve the problem.
"
The capacities are 65,000 tests per week but are not fully exploited today.
However, the winter season is approaching and it is of capital importance in Austria where winter tourism represents 15 billion euros in turnover.
The government therefore recently decided to extend this campaign to other professionals, in particular ski instructors.
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